Schools face harsh budget realities

From what we've been told so far, the state budget is drowning in red ink and will likely be using the monies meant for public schools as a life preserver. The showdown over the education budget will be coming to a head in the next few months.

Even with funding mandates protected by state law, school districts such as Las Virgenes Unified are likely to see their revenues drop significantly when the ink finally dries on this year's budget. The district receives 85 percent of its income from the state, and when Sacramento sneezes, Las Virgenes catches cold. District officials say they haven't been confronted with such harsh budget realities since the 1978 passage of Proposition 13, which capped the amount of property taxes public schools receive.

We've heard the cries before, that California ranks near the bottom of the country in the amount of per pupil funding, and that Las Virgenes must pay a higher proportion of special education expenses than other districts in the state. We also know that the demands placed by parents upon Las Virgenes schools are tougher than most.

The school district is in for a rough time as it tries to divvy up an ever-shrinking pie.

How quickly the winds of fortune change. Only three years ago the state was awash in cash as the real estate market soared. That year the Las Virgenes Unified School District received an unprecedented $5.3 million in extra revenue from the state. Teachers and other interests immediately locked horns over how to divide the spoils.

Now that the tide has changed yet again it behooves the district to take a hard look at the expenditure side of the ledger. Cadillac programs might have to be scaled back and certain corners cut. Salary expectations will have to be brought into line as well. Parents will have to do their part, too- more volunteer hours, more donations, and less complaining about what they might perceive as subpar classroom programs. The year ahead will be difficult and sacrifices will have to be made.

Local children still attend some of the best public schools in Southern California and, luckily, the Las Virgenes administrators are doing their best to keep it that way.